Welcome to the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) Miners in Space webpage. We are a student organization dedicated to conducting research in microgravity through the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP). Our team has performed experiments aboard NASA's Weightless Wonder research aircraft in 2003, 2005, and 2007, and have additional experiments planned for the future. Links in the left menu provide more information regarding our team.

Educational outreach is an important part of our program, usually involving displays or interactive presentations at area schools, science centers, and additional locations. Visit the Outreach page to view highlights from our past presentations.

---

Updates

The 2008 flight selections have been announced, and both the weld and thrusters teams will participate in research aboard NASA's reduced gravity aircraft. The Miners in Space teams are among forty groups selected this year as part of the prestigious program. Both teams will spend the coming months constructing and refining their welding and cold-gas experiments in preparation for microgravity testing at NASA's Ellington Field in June 2008. Visit the links at left for additional information regarding the weld and thrusters teams.

---

On October 31, 2007, the Miners in Space submitted two proposals for the 2008 flight campaign. The Miners in Space weld group seeks to better understand welding in microgravity through a third and final flight of a semi-autonomous aluminum welder. The Miners in Space thrusters group has proposed a cold-gas thruster experiment using saturated liquid propellant as fuel. If successful, such propulsion systems will have valuable applications in the small satellite industry. Be sure to check back for more updates.

---

Microgravity University at Johnson Space Center | 2003 Archive | Missouri University of Science and Technology